Skype,still, not working on Samsung Galaxy

In my previous post I declared the Skype problem as solved by upgrading to Android 2.2. However I experienced some stability issues and started to follow the “Skype is not working on Samsung Galaxy S” thread on the Skype blog, as this is the only one which gets enough attention from the Skype moderator. 

Skype causes lots of headaches not only for the Samsung Galaxy users but also- as you can see on the Skype for Android forum - Sony Xperia, HTC Hero, Motorola Spice XT300, HTC Wildfire users are suffering. All these issues with Skype on the Android smartphones remind me about the early nineties when successfully running Windows applications often depended on the Windows version or the PC manufacture. 

I was working for a very successful, at that time, Dutch PC manufacture company Tulip Computers. My team was responsible for the Microsoft Windows certification tests and obtaining the Windows logo. The real breakthrough in removing hardware dependencies from applications was the introduction of the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) announced in 1992 during the first Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in San Francisco. This was to ensure that future Windows NT could support different hardware architectures as Power PC, DEC Alpha and Intel. The "Plug & Play" initiative started with the introduction of the Windows 95 turned out to be initially “Plug & Pray”. Microsoft's strategy soon payed off.

I had the opportunity to visit Microsoft labs in Redmond at least a few times a year, and was impressed by the continuously improved test certification process. The Microsoft Windows architecture initiatives and a strict Microsoft certification policy contributed to an accelerated innovation in PC hardware and software leading to a dramatic price erosion and Intel/Microsoft dominance. Android will drive innovation in the field of smartphone devices as well. However the current Android maturity problems first need to be addressed to ensure the vendors can focus on the devices/software innovation and avoid spending so much time on fixing incompatibility problems.

I strongly believe, as Steve Wozniak, that Android will become the dominant smartphone platform. However the quality and the application's support needs to improve. For customers' experience, it is all about their favorite applications and based on my Skype experience Android is still in a "Plug & Pray" phase.

Android 2.3 is on its way and for sure it will bring some improvement.

How to make Skype work on the Samsung Galaxy S

Good question...

On the official Skype blog you can read

"We’re aware of some problems with the Samsung Galaxy S, and we’re looking to address these in the future."

This statement almost two months after Skype release, in my view,  indicates that solving the current skype problem will not be possible without new Android release.
My Samsung Galaxy S purchased in October was preinstalled with Android 2.1. In May Google announced Android 2.2, Codenamed Froyo. 
Is Froyo available on Samsung Galaxy S ? Would it fix the Skype problem ?

Unwiredview.com  reported that Samsung announced delayed Froyo availability in UK beginning of November. I also found some comments on the Skype forum about working Skype on the Samsung Galaxy S with Froyo..

How to get my phone upgraded?. For the upgrade you need Samsung program Kies. 

It sounds simple but IT IS NOT .. Kies program needs to be treated very carefully as it is known from so called "Kies Connection" problems". What I experienced myself Kies keeps reporting  "Connecting the device.... Please wait....."   and ... nothing happens. It is amazing how many videos on YouTube one can find produced by frustrated users.

First, you need to ensure  that you have the latest version of Kies installed. You can download it from here. As even the latest Kies version reported "Connection Problem"  I spent some time researching how to fix it.

Finally I found on Samsung US support site instructions how to address "Kies connection problem" 

You need to be patient as when you start drivers reinstallation for the first minutes  nothing really happens and you can't resist stopping Kies. 

Before connecting the device using the USB cable you need to ensure that the Samsung USB settings are set to "Ask on connection"  (Settings, Wireless and network, USB settings). It is important that the phone is fully charged as the upgrade will be aborted even if battery is 50 % charged as it was in my case.

After connecting the Samsung Galaxy you should be able to browse the device content.
At that moment you need, as above instructed,  to start Kies program. Do not be surprised getting initially two messages "Connecting to the device" , after a moment one message disappears  and you should get a message "Firmware upgrade available". Please ignore the remaining "Connecting  to the device message" as the device IS CONNECTED at that moment.
Follow all instructions carefully and within ca 10 minutes (backup your contact phones, downloading , decompressing and upgrading firmware) your phone will be upgraded.
Install Skype from Android Market and you will be able to log in. 


The Skype problem is finally solved.